Music (Fan) Review – Around the Sun, by Michael Nesmith (MP3 download at www.videoranch.com)

While this isn’t Michael Nesmith’s latest recording (that would be the live CD of his 2013 Movies of the Mind tour), this is his most recent original studio material.

The set consists of six songs – four vocal tracks and two instrumentals – many of which sound like further explorations of the whimsical muse behind his 2006 album Rays and all of which I would describe as new age folk pop.

Just like Rays, the songs are heavy on synthesizers, which I assume are played by Nesmith, as they are on that previous album.

But several tunes also feature plenty of acoustic and especially electric guitar, along with bass and drums and percussion. I don’t know who Nesmith’s rhythm section consists of, and I don’t know if Nesmith plays any or all of the guitars. I can say this, though: Nesmith can easily play the acoustic and electric guitar rhythms that provide the core of many of these songs, and the electric guitar leads are similar to Nesmith’s electric guitar playing on the Rays track “Zip Ribbon” and The Monkees' 1996 album Justus, which proves that Nesmith can hold his own as a lead and rhythm guitarist.

Of the six songs, I highly recommend “Only Understanding Love” and “I Know What I Know.” These are the best of the bunch – they are the most organic and feature some of Nesmith’s most heartfelt lyrics and vocals. I would dare even say that they’re better than all of the songs on Tropical Campfires and Rays. In fact, I’m surprised Nesmith didn’t include them on his Movies of the Mind tour. They would have been welcome additions.

These two songs are somewhat similar in style and vibe to the music of George Harrison. Although Nesmith was supposed to be the John Lennon of The Monkees – “the Smart One” – I’ve always felt that Nesmith is more similar to Harrison in terms of musical tone. Nesmith and Harrison were the official and real guitarists of their respective groups, and, not surprisingly, their individual music is predominantly guitar-based. Their singing and songwriting also share elements of folk and transcendentalism.

If Nesmith continues to record in the future, I hope he makes more songs like “Only Understanding Love” and “I Know What I Know.” This is a good musical direction for him.

(Note: The MP3 sample for “Helen’s Eternal Birthday” doesn’t seem to be in the actual download of the song, or in any of the Around the Sun downloads. I wanted to hear more of what was in that clip. Nevertheless, the songs are still enjoyable.)

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – Inner Circle, by Peter Calandra

Peter Calandra's latest album is an engaging collection of thirteen original compositions that encompass a dynamic mix of jazz, new age, and fusion.

The electric/acoustic keyboardist is joined on this outing by Joy Askew on vocals, Tom Barney on acoustic bass, Ralph Farris on viola and violin, Kathy Halvorson on oboe, Kathleen Nester on flute and piccolo, Peter Prosser on cello, and Stomu Takeishi on fretless electric bass.

Every track on this disc is captivating, thanks not only to Calandra's inventiveness as a composer but also his skill as a performer and his professionalism as a bandleader. He and his studio mates enjoy a musical rapport that is evident in the infectiousness of the tunes.

Flawless from beginning to end, this CD delivers the goods.

--Raj Manoharan

CD (Fan) Review – Miami Vice: The Complete Collection, by Jan Hammer

While Miami Vice is one of my favorite TV shows of all time (I had the good fortune to interview Lieutenant Castillo himself, Edward James Olmos, in the late 1990s), it is not my absolute favorite (that would be the 1960s Star Trek series), and there are other shows that I enjoy far more and that are closer to my heart in terms of nostalgia and sentimental value.

That being said, I truly believe that the Miami Vice music score is the best television score of all time. And by score, I don’t mean the two or three soundtracks that came out in the 1980s and mostly featured hit pop songs of the era that played on the show.

I’m talking about the purely instrumental score composed and performed by Jan Hammer and that is the sole focus of this two-disc release.

Cynics would say that the synthesizer music is cheesy and dated. I dare say such cynics are wrong. Sure, the 1980s were the heyday of synthesizer music, much of which was schmaltzy back then. But for his Miami Vice music, the synthesizer was simply an instrument which Hammer used as a tool to craft iconic sounds and memorable, epic themes. The synthesizer is the medium, and Hammer’s bold and chilling compositions are his message.

I’ve listened to some of Hammer’s later records, and as good as they are in and of themselves, his Miami Vice work is so unique and special it’s in a class of its own. I think this is not only because the music perfectly underscores the images it was originally designed to accompany, but also because it tells a compelling story all its own.

It is precisely in this way that the Miami Vice music of Jan Hammer transcends its time and place and remains visionary to this day.

--Raj Manoharan

TV – Watch People Interviewed by Me on Me TV

Several people that I interviewed during my entertainment writing and celebrity interviewing heyday can be seen regularly on Me TV.

The 6 p.m. weeknight beat is patrolled by Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox as California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops Ponch and Jon on ChiPs.

At 9 p.m. on Saturdays, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy explore space while trying to keep the intergalactic peace as Kirk and Spock on Star Trek.

On Sundays at 6 p.m., you can see James MacArthur (Helen Hayes' son) as Detective Danny “Danno” Williams getting patched through to McGarrett (Jack Lord) on Hawaii Five-O.

At 7 p.m. on Sundays, Robert Conrad leads his unique band of brothers in air combat during World War II in Black Sheep Squadron.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Estrada and Wilcox in 1998 for the occasion of their CHiPs '99 TV reunion movie. Estrada kept calling me “pardner,” and Wilcox, a computer business mogul at the time, invited me to his ranch in California, an invitation I regrettably never had the opportunity to take him up on.

I interviewed Nimoy in 1997 for his participation in a series of radio plays inspired by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre and spearheaded by John de Lancie (Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation).

I interviewed Shatner because he was hosting The Sci-Fi Channel's remastered reruns of the show in 1998. It was thrilling to hear Captain Kirk/T.J. Hooker himself tell me he needed my help in getting the word out about his activities at the time. When I told him he was really going where no man had gone before with his Name in Space project, in which you could have your and your lover's names orbit Earth alongside his name in a space capsule, he exclaimed, “Isn't that wild?!”

I interviewed MacArthur in 1997 because The Family Channel was airing remastered versions of the show. When I interviewed MacArthur, he was in his home office in Palm Desert, California, looking at posters of his films, such as Swiss Family Robinson. MacArthur told me that in return for promoting the remastered shows, rather than money, he wanted The Family Channel to give him all the remastered episodes on videotape so he could show them to his children and grandchildren. This was just before the advent of DVDs. So MacArthur wasn't just one of the stars of the show, he was also a fan!

It was great to hear MacArthur not only reminisce about his career (including working with his mother Helen Hayes, who guest-starred as Danno's aunt in Hawaii Five-O), but also recollect the late, great Jack Lord. MacArthur himself passed away in 2010, just as he was finalizing plans to guest star in the new Hawaii Five-0 TV series. MacArthur was living in Florida at the time.

I interviewed Wild, Wild West star Conrad in 1995 when he was promoting his latest series, High Sierra Search and Rescue. Conrad, who turned 60 that year, told me that he was “six-oh and on the go.” What was really cool is that he said the very same thing a few days later on Live with Regis and Kathy Lee.

Watch people interviewed by me on Me TV.

--Raj Manoharan

TV – Superman Returns! See the Dawn of Justice on Me TV Before It Arrives in Theaters!

This is what I wrote back on December 28, 2013:

“Watching Batman and Wonder Woman on Me TV is a great way to prepare for the Man of Steel sequel set for release in 2015, with Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman and joined by Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Now all Me TV needs to do is add the 1950s series The Adventures of Superman to the lineup.”

My thought has become reality as The Adventures of Superman is now part of Me TV's Super Sci-Fi Saturday Nights lineup.

The classic show starring George Reeves as TV's first live-action Man of Steel kicks off a super-powered evening of super-heroics at 6:00 p.m., followed by Adam West and Burt Ward as the Caped Crusading Dynamic Duo in Batman at 7:00 p.m. and Lynda Carter as the original warrior princess in Wonder Woman at 8:00 p.m.

Now, thanks to Me TV, super fans will be super ready to anticipate the theatrical release (now set for 2016) of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, respectively, and introducing a host of other legendary DC Comics superheroes.

--Raj Manoharan

TV – William Shatner Weekends Double “Bill”: Double the Bill, Double the Thrill

If you’re as much of a Shatfan as I am, then you’ll be thrilled to know that you can watch William Shatner every weekend in all his scenery-chewing and over-the-top gut-busting glory in two different decades in two different uniforms in two different hairstyles (or hairpieces?).

First up, catch Shatner in his first iteration of Captain Kirk in the original 1960s Star Trek television series, which airs Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. on Me TV (Memorable Entertainment Television). Nothing beats Shatner hamming philosophic about the quandaries of mankind’s place in the universe, all the while sporting a ‘60s-style “straight-laced” coiffure (Was it real or was it a hairpiece? Find out at www.shatnerstoupee.blogspot.com). Shatner’s partners in pop cultural perpetuity include Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, and George Takei.

Shatner’s heyday (shortly before he became a self-parodying, perpetually wealth-generating cottage industry unto himself) came in the 1980s, when—at the same time he was reprising his role as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies—he pounded the pavement and cleaned the streets of slimy scum as the titular no-nonsense police sergeant in T.J. Hooker, airing Sundays at 6:00 p.m. on Family Net (check your local listings for additional weekday showings).

 

Shatner as a uniformed police officer is about as high-concept as you can get, making this the best cop show of all time. Shatner often gets touted for his peerless hood jumping, but he was quite adept behind the wheel as well. He could drift (brake-skidding the car on fast turns) with the best of them, even when it wasn't necessary. And who could forget that Shatastic ‘80s perm? (Again—real or fake? Check out www.shatnerstoupee.blogspot.com.) The series also stars the adorably smug Adrian Zmed, a very fresh-faced Heather Locklear, and Shatner’s fellow aging pretty boy James Darren.

 

So don’t forget to enjoy William Shatner in two of his most memorable TV roles. Tune in every weekend, same Shat time, same Shat channel! (Actually, that's two different times on two different channels.)

 

--Raj Manoharan

TV – Starsky & Hutch Ride Again on Family Net

The 1970s TV cop duo is cleaning the boob tube (or LCD, LED, or plasma set) of crime at 7:00 p.m. Sundays on Family Net (check your local listings for additional weekday showings), and it’s quite the “trip” down memory lane.

The opening credits are hilarious, because, although the show is called Starsky & Hutch, the guy who plays Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and drives the flashy red and white-striped Ford Gran Torino is the second actor listed. David Soul (Hutch) gets top billing, and over a freeze frame of him yelling and flailing his arms maniacally.

Antonio Fargas, who plays nightclub-owning street informant Huggy Bear, gets special standout billing (“and Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear”). But then, all of a sudden, the credits list Bernie Hamilton (the irascible but lovable Captain Dobey). That’s it – just Bernie Hamilton. It’s like the credits are saying, “…and Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear – oh, by the way, Bernie Hamilton.”

There’s more to the show than just the hilarious opening credits, and certainly much more than the insipid, shallow, and unworthy big-screen Starsky & Hutch parody starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Stiller and Wilson may be funny (not really), but they’re no David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser. Soul and Glaser are solid actors with great screen chemistry, and Glaser is a better and more accomplished film and television director.

Even if you’re not into TV cop shows or don’t particularly care for Starsky & Hutch, at least just check out the opening credits of the current rotation of episodes on Family Net. It’s one of the more entertaining highlights of classic 1970s television.

--Raj Manoharan